Jim Caldwell the first to interview for Detroit Lions' head coaching position

Jan. 3, 2014

Written by

Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

Jim Caldwell went 14-2 and reached the Super Bowl in his first season as head coach, then two years later, when Peyton Manning got hurt and the Indianapolis Colts slumped to 2-14, was out of a job.

Caldwell, who interviewed with the Detroit Lions today, said last year at the Super Bowl that he understood why his first stint as a head coach in the National Football League was short-lived.

“You have to,” Caldwell said at Super Bowl media day last year. “This business is about winning. We didn’t win. It doesn’t matter in this league. It doesn’t matter about injury, it doesn’t matter about players. None of that matters. The bottom line is, you have to win football games. We didn’t win. When you don’t win, you’re subject to get fired, so we were. So you have to go look for employment elsewhere.”

Caldwell joined the Baltimore Ravens as quarterbacks coach last year and was promoted to offensive coordinator late in the season after Cam Cameron was fired.

The Ravens averaged 31 points per game in the postseason under his watch, and beat the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl, 34-31.

Despite Baltimore’s success, Caldwell did not interview for any of the eight head-coaching positions that opened last year.

He said at the time he wanted another chance to be a head coach, but wasn’t sure that opportunity would come.

“I certainly would like to be at the top of my profession,” Caldwell said. “I think that every coach that’s in this business does want to get an opportunity to do so. I’ve had one in this league and it was my second total overall. I would love another one, but it may or may not happen.”

Caldwell has been a popular man so far this hiring cycle.

Along with his Lions interview today, he’s schedule to interview in Washington next Tuesday, and John Wooten, chairman of the Fitz Pollard Alliance, said he fits the criteria the Lions have outlined for their next head coach.

“I truly think that what Detroit wants is what he has,” Wooten said. “I think that Detroit wants a guy who is calm and collected and very strong and stern in how he deals with the players. I go back to Coach (Tom) Landry and Paul Brown and those guys that I worked under and so forth, and people that way, if the coach is a strong stern no-B.S. type of guy, the players will be that way.

(Page 2 of 2)

“You won’t see the players whooping and hollering and jumping up and down and getting up in the officials’ face because their leader doesn’t do that. I’ve sort of learned that’s the way players will do that, and Jim is that. He’s even keeled and you’re not going to see him hollering and cursing at officials and stomping and throwing things on the turf.”

Caldwell is the first known candidate to interview with the Lions, who are still in the initial stages of finding a replacement for Jim Schwartz, who was fired Monday after five seasons.

Wooten said general manager Martin Mayhew and president Tom Lewand are conducting the initial round of interviews for the Lions, and that the team expects to bring back three or so finalists to meet with ownership.

In 2009, the Lions had formal interviews with at least seven candidates before hiring Schwartz as head coach.